Apple Files This Patent For Smart Dock That Can Activate Siri Voice Assistant On The iPhone [Detailed]

Apple has introduced the voice recognition feature Siri with the launch of iPhone 5s, which has made a big hype in the past few years and now, the Fruit company has filed a new patent for a Smart Dock that can activate the aforementioned “Siri” mode of a mobile phone. Full details after this break!

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on this Thursday published an Apple patent application detailing a full-function “smart dock” that repeatedly listens to the prompt to activate and communicate with the voice recognition ability of docked devices, like the iPhone and iPad. Althouh the Apple filing clearly describes an iOS device accessory unlike anything the company has manufactured. Like the third-party peripherals, the company proposed doc can include a speaker, microphone and a nuilt-in screen, but goes further by allowing access to the Siri virtual assistant.

Apple’s smart dock for activating a voice recognition mode of a portable electronic device, currently implies only docking solutions for both the iPhone and iPad, limited to changing and line-out audio. As said, in fact the proposal dock would have a screen, tactile controls or a touch panel with which a user can interface. Other inclusions include a scroll wheel, buttons and other manual controls.

To utilize these functions, a suer typically interacts with the device using their finger and a graphical user interface, thus, requires the device to be in close proximity to the user and if the mobile device is on a docking station to charge it, it may be out of the user’s control (reach) when needed. However, the filing notes that portable electronics such as cellular phones have become commonplace and are often used with docking stations and the like. iPhone, would be the best smartphone through which an user can perform various functions including voice calling, messaging, emailing, media playback and on.

Instead of carrying Siri onboard, the dock would be mostly headless until an iPhone or iPad was operative, coupled to the unit. Basic and general functionality like a clock and radio are integrated, but providing voice recognition and heavy processing are accomplished by the iOS device.

This Apple’s dock solution is compromised of a housing, a connector extending from the housing to connect the portable electronic device to the smart dock, a microphone integrated within the housing, and a processor, which is operatively coupled to receive audio input from the microphone and is also configured to in response to the audio input. Transmits a message to the portable electronic device through the connector to activate a voice recognition mode of the device. Once in voice recognition mode, users would be able to command the device without needing to handle the device directly.

Built-in nature: In addition to the hardware, the dock can also be fitted with add-ons like removable hard drive, environmental sensors, a GPS module and more. Allows the dock to be paired with iOS device but uncoupled, meaning that the smart dock would transform into a sort of smart wireless speaker system. Alternative way resides that the dock itself can time out Siri voice recognition and can put the iOS device to sleep after a set-up time period. Forgot to say that there is also a provision for wireless inductive charging as well.

Finally, users can force the dock to deactivate Siri by issuing a verbal command or other audio input in they apparently needed. In these scenarios, the dock would deactivate listening mode during voice recognition operations.

Learn more by hitting this link about what Apple filed in the patent for smart dock that can activate Siri on the iPhone and iPad (iOS devices) that would bring voice recognition into the home, permanently. (Via AppleInsider)